Palou Dominates Barber for Second 2026 IndyCar Win

Ganassi driver controls race from pole as Lundgaard and Rahal complete podium

Mar. 30, 2026 at 4:34am

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Alex Palou led 79 of the 90 laps Sunday at the Children's of Alabama IndyCar Grand Prix, becoming the first two-time winner of the 2026 season. Christian Lundgaard and Graham Rahal battled for second, with Lundgaard overtaking Rahal late to repeat his second-place finish from last spring's race at Barber Motorsports Park.

Why it matters

Palou's dominant performance continues his reign as one of the top drivers in the NTT IndyCar Series, having won his first of four championships in 2021. However, Kyle Kirkwood's consistency this season has him leading Palou by two points in the standings as the series heads to Long Beach.

The details

Palou led from the pole position and was never seriously challenged, gapping Lundgaard by over 13 seconds at the finish. Lundgaard had a strong car but lost time on a substandard pit stop, allowing Rahal to briefly take second before Lundgaard reclaimed the position late. Rahal was content with third, his 69th career top-five finish.

  • Palou led 79 of the 90 laps on Sunday.
  • Lundgaard overtook Rahal with three laps to go.

The players

Alex Palou

A Chip Ganassi Racing driver who has won four IndyCar championships, including his first in 2021.

Christian Lundgaard

An Arrow McLaren driver who finished second, his second straight runner-up result at Barber Motorsports Park.

Graham Rahal

A Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver who finished third, his 69th career top-five finish in the series.

Kyle Kirkwood

An Andretti Global driver who finished fifth and maintains a two-point lead over Palou in the standings.

Julian Robertson

The lead engineer on Palou's No. 10 DHL Honda.

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What they’re saying

“The pace we had and the way we were catching him, I think so. There was a bobble on the pit stop. I don't know if it was my fault or the car went down [from the jack] too fast. But I wanted to go out there and re-pass Graham, just to make up for that and put a statement to 'We got it.' It's unfortunate—the guys have done an amazing job, and I don't think that's' ever really happened. So one in almost 100 starts, I think it's OK. I think we had a chance to make a difference today, but I don't think we can be unhappy from 10th to second.”

— Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren driver

“All weekend, I felt like this was coming. Got too loose on the reds [alternate Firestone tires]. Trying to fend off Christian was quite hard, and in the end he just got me. We're pretty pleased with this.”

— Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver

“My next-best finish was eighth or ninth around this place. I'm just keeping it consistent.”

— Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global driver

“Don't say too much. You need to kind of talk but not say exactly. He always says the truth. I mean, I'm not lying when I talk to you guys. But I hide couple of stuff here and there. I don't want Julian to now tell you the springs we run, where do we struggle too much or not.”

— Alex Palou

“Obviously, Alex is super-good at driving. The whole team is well-oiled, acts pretty efficiently. As long as we can keep it running smooth, we try and execute as best as we can. That's the key. Tends to stay pretty calm and execute as needed. We just had to knuckle down and get it done.”

— Julian Robertson, Lead engineer on Palou's No. 10 DHL Honda

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This case highlights growing concerns in the community about repeat offenders released on bail, raising questions about bail reform, public safety on SF streets, and if any special laws to govern autonomous vehicles in residential and commercial areas.